Ubuntu's ambient notification system, styled after the Mac Growl interface and first arriving in April's 9.04 release, can be very helpful. They can also be very annoying in their default position. This config editing work-around moves them elsewhere.

An Ubuntu Forums user details a few steps that move Ubuntu's notifications from the upper right corner of your desktop to the lower left. The top right corner seems like the best place to stash notifications, until you realize that they block the mouse from clicking on any controls can get in the way of certain apps, and stay around longer when you hover your cursor over them.

The fix requires downloading and installing the source code for the notifications, and might require dealing with additional dependency installations if you get back errors on trying to install the source code. After it's done, however, your notifications now appear in the lower left, and they're less intrusive on your desktop experience.